World at War - Blood and Bridges

The war is raging on and now it is up to the British and their formidable array of weapons systems to blunt the Soviet spearhead. Chieftain and Challenger tanks, Striker ATGM vehicles, FV-432 APCs, Lynx attack helicopters, Tornado fighter-bombers and others clash headlong into first rate Soviet Guards units outfitted with T-80 and T-64 tanks, BMP-2 APCs, MTU-55 Bridgelayers, SA-13s, Hind E attack helicopters, Su-25 ground attack aircraft and many more. There is only one mission here. Hold the bridges or see Soviet armour on Channel coast. Are you up to the task? Units activate by formation chit drawn, fire in a flurry of dice, and look good doing it. The initial game rules cover self-propelled mortars, thin-skinned vehicles, support weapons, ranged combat, opportunity fire, ATGM depletion, assaults, helicopters, chemical attacks, dual purpose conventional munitions, smoke, HE, opportunity fire, simple line of sight (bit more complex for helicopters), transporting infantry and overruns (great fun). This expansion updates those rules and brings to the table new opportunities including Bridging, Improved Positions, Airstrikes and Air Cover, Jamming, Battlefield Chaos, gun launched ATGMs, MLRS Strikes and others. Better still, World at War: Blood and Bridges is not just a game, but part of the World at War game system. After learning the rules of this standalone expansion, you can play any of the modules and the original Eisenbach Gap. See About the Game, below, for more game play details. This standalone expansion ships packaged in a rugged box with awesome cover art to wow your friends, and contains the following components:

Scenarios Include:

First Contact

June 2nd 1985. The War is in its fourth week and the Soviets have blown through the first defensive barriers. The loss of equipment and men has been high on both sides but the Soviets have fresh Guards troops pouring across the Gap. It is now up to the British to halt the advance before the Soviets reach the Rhine River. This afternoon amidst the smoke and haze, recon elements of both sides make contact. The battle for the bridges is underway!

The Defense of Anhausen

June 3rd 1985. Recon forces collided late yesterday. Intel reports that the Soviet 62nd Motor Rifle Regiment is on the way. The 3rd Queens Regiment moved forward overnight and is dug in for a fight to hold Anhausen! Scouts report armour approaching. Time to win one for Queen and Country…

Hold the Line

June 3rd 1985. The 3rd Queens regiment managed to knock the Soviet 62nd MMR back in fever-pitched battle this morning. That was the good news. The bad news is now they have to hold the line against the 74th Guards Tank that is moving into the Bendorf area. Headquarters has responded by sending elements of the Royal Lancers along with a couple helos and an on-call MLRS unit. Will it be enough?

Chieftains on the Warpath

June 5th 1985. Both sides backed off from major action yesterday to regroup and rethink the battle for Anhausen. The British are pushing the 4th Royal Tank Regiment from Irlich into the Anhausen FEBA. The Soviets are pressing Elements of the 48th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment out from Bendorf to get a foothold for a continued rush to the river.

Challenging the Bear

June 6th 1985. After a day of brutal fighting in and around Anhausen both forces pulled back to assess loses and decide how to proceed. The British command decides to make a bold counter-attack against the Soviets regrouping in the area of Rieden, Haln and Bendorf. Elements of the Royal Hussars and the Queens Regiment drive from Irlich to deal out a bit of payback.

Calm Before the Storm

June 7th 1985. The sudden counter-attack by the British forces coupled with days of fighting, shattered nerves and confusion led to an accidental Soviet chemical rocket strike of Anhausen by a couple of Scud missiles a few hours ago. Thousands of civilians and refugees were caught in the attack by the clouds of nerve gas. NATO leaders are discussing a reprisal as the Soviets claim it was NATO fire that fell on the city. Before too much world outcry can gather, the Soviets decide to punch a probing attack to soften up the river defenders…

…and 6 other white-knuckle scenarios.

About the Game

Units represent platoons of vehicles, such as T-80, T-64, BTR-70, BMP-2, FV-432, Challenger 1, Rapier, SA-13, ZSU-23/4, helicopters – Lynx and Hind E, aircraft – Su-25 and Tornado, and infantry armed with support weapons such as Spandrels, SA-16s, Milans, Blowpipes, AGS-17s, etc. The system throws typical turn-based gaming out the window. The platoons are grouped into formations (companies for NATO or battalions for the Soviets) and lead by a headquarters unit. Each unit of the formation must be within range (generous for NATO, less so for the Soviets) of the HQ to activate with its formation. Oh yeah, individual units might activate, and recon units can double their range from the HQ, but you’ll want to keep those formations together. The formations are activated by chit draw, and better-trained, better-led units can activate more than once in a turn, moving, shooting, and fighting in each activation. On the flip side of a coin, there is no guarantee that a formation will activate even once. The opaque container (we like to call it a cup in the rural south) into which the formation chits are placed is seeded with end turn chits. When the second end turn chit is drawn, the turn ends. Doesn’t matter if anyone has activated; the turn is over.

We also have introduced two rules that add chits to the cup. One is Battlefield Chaos. When this chit is pulled a roll is made on a table to see how fortune blesses or curses your forces. The other is Airpower. When an air unit is pulled, it can conduct a devastating attack on the enemy.

Combat. We love this combat system. When attacking, each platoon rolls a number of dice equal to its firepower. Every die that equals or exceeds the “to hit” number (right superscript) hits the target. The target then rolls the number of die equal to its armor factor plus terrain advantages. Each die that equals or exceeds its armor factor negates a hit. The first hit disrupts a unit, second reduces it, the third eliminates it.

Units may also close assault, entering the opponent’s hex to either deal a death blow or force him (or her) out of valuable terrain. Same procedure, but both units use their close assault value. The side that takes the most hits must retreat from the hex. Infantry is VERY good at this, especially against armor without its own infantry support.